“The answer to fear is courage. Our question is how can we find such courage to meet the fears of our lives.” In his sermon of December 24, 1961, “In the Face of Fear,” Rabbi …
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In the Face of Fear
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What Do You Want — Freedom or Security?
“There is no freedom without responsibility!” Rabbi Olan didn’t use exclamation marks often, but when speaking on December 17, 1961, he wanted his message to be absolutely clear: finding the balance between freedom and security …
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Family Life – What is Wrong?
“There is something wrong with family life today and it is not a slight or superficial matter. People who cannot love, who have confused values, and who are without an affirming faith, cannot build a …
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On Being Lonely
"Our loneliness is exhibited in our inability to talk with each other about ourselves and things that really matter to us." On December 10, 1961, Rabbi Olan delved into a study of modern loneliness -- how it affects us, the ways we try to avoid it, and how we may even find solace in it. Is it the lack of a shared...
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The Faith of Our Fathers and Our Own
“For many people in our country and elsewhere, God is dead.” When Rabbi Olan stated, “Ours is not the age of religious faith,” he was speaking of 1961. However, his observation is also true in …
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The Command to Love
“Life commands us to love and it is our task to learn the art of it.” Rabbi Olan often called people of faith to act justly in a world filled with injustice. In this November …
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Justice Comes First
Hearing the news today, the presence of justice may often feel lost -- in our laws, our legislation, our daily lives. This was the thrust of Rabbi Olan's sermon on November 19, 1961. He makes key statements such as: "The strong in our midst dominate and crush the weak as is so flagrantly evidenced in the tensions of race relations and..."
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The Harm That Good Men Do
"Censorship is the death of all art. When an artist must exclude a true experience of life to suit the fears of men, he ceases to be creative." Although broadcast on November 12, 2961, Rabbi Olan's brief study of censorship and its repercussions on a free society might easily have been written today. He is careful to note that...
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Life that is Stronger than Death
“Death is the greatest teacher of life.” Why is it that people suddenly become more real at a wake, a funeral, or a memorial service? The losses of loved ones (and of great leaders) remind …
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A National Purpose for America
“It is time, now, that we asked ourselves what has become of the American dream?” On October 29, 1961, Rabbi Olan urged Americans to remember the values and costly sacrifices of our nation’s founders and …
Rabbi Levi A. Olan: The Conscience of the City 